WORLD CUP 2026 THREAD

[buster]

Absolutely not. They should not change anything.

Does this mean that those sports teams have defenses that suck ? Or really good offenses ? It can go either way.... Also, American football uses arbitrary points for scores. Imagine if touchdowns were changed to (1) point and field goals to (0.5) points (yes, I know there's more scoring options). A game that was 28-17 would instead be 4 - 2-1/2. Already feels boring, huh ?

Covered in high-tech pads and revolutionary helmets. Now, rubgy, that's for real !

True, but the game of soccer/football isn't really much of a contact sport. Even with pads, NFL players destroy their bodies. I got banged up in high school football one game that exceeded anything in my entire time playing soccer. I love soccer and wouldn't want anything to change, especially because of the US. It's not our game and never will be. I don't see it ever replacing NFL, Basketball or even Baseball.

They've been wondering if it will catch on for decades. Still hasn't happened and I don't think it will. WC will be a fleeting memory.

The best part of this WC was that it was in the US so foreigners can experience what its actually like here vs media. People weren't getting killed in the streets. Instead, they found everyone to be very welcoming, friendly and open. We also got to see some awesome players and teams play each other.

 

[Japanese]

Absolutely not. They should not change anything.

They already did. The so-called hydration break was unprecedented. It never existed before that. Until now players were playing 45 min. straight. And those hydration breaks were only for the world cup. It won't exist anywhere after that.
Most likely it was pushed by the hosts to benefit from extra TV commercial time. Players don't need hydration break. They never had one before.

That is implementation of what Maradona said in 2018:
"Americans want 4 half times per 20 min. instead of the soccer's 2 halfs by 45 min."

So, at this world cup they reached some type of aggrement about that. And that never happened before.

 

[Hall]

The best part of this WC was that it was in the US so foreigners can experience what its actually like here vs media. People weren't getting killed in the streets. Instead, they found everyone to be very welcoming, friendly and open. We also got to see some awesome players and teams play each other.

This. All of my extended family (cousins, aunts and uncles, etc) are from the UK and they ask us about what they see on the news. I work for a company based in Belgium and they ask as well. I constantly tell them "what you see on the news is not America". The ones that come here as well as the WC fans saw this was true too.

They already did. The so-called hydration break was unprecedented. It never existed before that.

Not true. Hydration breaks, while not mandatory, have been in place for over a decade in FIFA matches.

 

[Dave Hess]

I’m glad Spain won.

 

[Japanese]

Not true. Hydration breaks, while not mandatory, have been in place for over a decade in FIFA matches.

Well, at this WC they were mandatory. That's the difference. Before that were very rare exception. Also, they were brief and no TV commercial during that time.